Deputies fatally shoot man in west Harris County

Confrontation that began when officers arrived at home leaves one injured

By Jayme Fraser :
December 30, 2012
: Updated: August 15, 2013 8:01pm

Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia speaks to members of the media Sunday afternoon outside the West Houston home where two deputies Tasered then shot and killed a man who had been acting "irrational." One deputy was taken to the hospital with a concussion, bruises, cuts and a bite mark, Garcia said. The investigation is ongoing.

Photo By Jayme Fraser/Chronicle

A member of the Harris County Sheriff's office takes a sample of blood from handcuffs two deputies had attempted to use Sunday afternoon to restrain a man who had been acting "irrational," according to Sheriff Adrian Garcia. The 43-year-old man died after he was Tasered and shot during a confrontation with the officers in his West Houston home. The investigation is ongoing.

Harris County officers gather at the scene of a shooting involving an officer. (Jayme Fraser/Chronicle)

Photo By Jayme Fraser/Staff

A member of the Harris County Sheriff's Office takes a sample of blood from handcuffs two deputies had attempted to use Sunday afternoon to restrain a man who had been acting "irrational," according to Sheriff Adrian Garcia.

A 43-year-old man was killed after two deputies fired shots at him in west Harris County on Sunday.

A woman called paramedics for help at 11:51 a.m., stating that her husband was acting irrationally, according to Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia. The couple, her sister and three children were at the home in the 20400 block of Shiloh Mist at the time.

Cy-Fair EMS arrived and called the Sheriff's Office after the man confronted them violently, Garcia said. Two deputies responded by 12:18 p.m. and engaged with the man, he said.

They used a Taser on the man before both firied shots at him around 12:21 p.m., Garcia said.

The man died at the scene, and deputy Brady Pullen was transported to an area hospital where he was treated and released for a concussion, cuts and a bite.

Neither deputy was shot, but at least one bullet went into the neighbor's garage, authorities said.

A crime scene technician took a sample of blood from handcuffs the deputies attempted to use to restrain a man, but Sheriff's Office spokesman Alan Bernstein said the man was not handcuffed when deputies fired at him.

"None of it is clear," Bernstein said. "It's all still pretty sketchy. It takes a while to unwind."

The case remains under investigation by homicide detectives. Garcia said the crisis intervention response team is assisting, but the department has not found any evidence that the man had a history of mental illness.

The wife wiped tears from her eyes before stepping out of a patrol car and following a detective to his vehicle, where they talked about the incident. Authorities said she is not in custody or a suspect.

The three children, who Garcia said were all under 10 years of age, waited in a neighbor's house.

Neighbors stood on their lawns to watch the scene, saying they were surprised and saddened by the death in a subdivision just three years old and with no prior history of major crime.

"I came in from church and saw all these cop cars here," said Robert Hamilton, who was visiting his sister three houses from the scene.